The present invention is related to the placement of mine roof supports in a mine. More specifically, the present invention is related to the placement of mine roof supports in a mine with the use of a cradle.
Standing supports such as timber cribs, timber posts have long been used in underground mining. In most cases, the components of these supports were light enough that one or two men could easily install the support. With the development of large diameter and monolithic support systems (such as the xe2x80x9cStar Propxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cThe Canxe2x80x9d) the supports while efficient and productive, have become too large for one or two men to practically install. Means of mechanical installation are necessary to use these products practically. One such means is to attach a paper roll clamp type device onto a piece of mobile underground equipment (normally a battery or diesel powered xe2x80x9cscoopxe2x80x9d) that can grab and maneuver the support into the desired installed position. This clamp system while adequate is large and cumbersome and greatly oversize for the installation of the smaller xe2x80x9cCansxe2x80x9d and the Star Prop. Additionally, the clamp type device requires hydraulic power to securely grab and maneuver the supports thus adding to the complexity of the system and reducing the reliability. Another drawback of the clamp device and its complexity is that it is not easily connected and disconnected to the xe2x80x9cscoopxe2x80x9d. Scoops are typically manufactured with a forklift, load carrying bucket or flat load platform (duck bill) configuration at its load carrying end to easily pick up and discharge materials. These devices must be removed to install the clamp type device. The result of this is that the equipment to which the clamp is attached becomes dedicated to the single function of placing the supports. Any additional work that was normally performed by this machine requires the employment of another machine.
The present invention pertains to a cradle for placing a support in a mine. The cradle comprises a housing for holding the mine support. The cradle comprises an arm mechanism rotatably attached to the housing which has an open position that allows the support to enter the housing and a closed position which prevents the support from leaving the housing. The cradle comprises an attachment mechanism connected to the housing for rotatably attaching the housing to a platform of a mechanism for moving the mine support. The attachment mechanism maintains the housing in the horizontal position or a vertical position.
The present invention pertains to a method for placing a support in a mine. The method comprises the steps of moving a support from a platform to a cradle. Then there is the step of rotating the cradle until the support is in a vertical position relative to ground. Next there is the step of placing the support on the ground. Then there is the step of separating the support from the cradle. Next there is the step of tightening the support to the mine roof.